Ordos City

Ordos
鄂尔多斯市 (Chinese)
ᠣᠷᠳᠣᠰᠬᠣᠲᠠ (Mongolian)
Location of Ordos City jurisdiction in Inner Mongolia (orange)
Coordinates (Genghis Khan Plaza, Kangbashi): 39°36′14″N 109°47′06″E / 39.604°N 109.785°E / 39.604; 109.785
CountryPeople's Republic of China
RegionInner Mongolia
Municipal seatKangbashi District
Area
86,752 km2 (33,495 sq mi)
  Urban
 (2017)
2,526.5 km2 (975.5 sq mi)
  Metro
5,859.8 km2 (2,262.5 sq mi)
Elevation
1,305 m (4,281 ft)
Highest elevation
2,149 m (7,051 ft)
Lowest elevation
850 m (2,790 ft)
Population
 (2020 census)
2,153,638
  Density25/km2 (64/sq mi)
  Urban
 
693,038
  Urban density270/km2 (710/sq mi)
  Metro
366,779
  Metro density63/km2 (160/sq mi)
GDP
  Prefecture-level cityCN¥ 422.6 billion
US$ 67.9 billion
  Per capitaCN¥ 272,196
US$ 40,241
Time zoneUTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal code
017000
ISO 3166 codeCN-NM-06
Licence plate prefixesK
Administrative division code150600
Websitewww.ordos.gov.cn
Ordos City
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese鄂尔多斯市
Traditional Chinese鄂爾多斯
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinÈ'ěrduōsī Shì
Bopomofoㄜˋ   ㄦˇ   ㄉㄨㄛ      ㄕˋ
Gwoyeu RomatzyhEh'eelduosy Shyh
Wade–GilesÊ4-erh3-to1-ssu1 Shih4
Yale RomanizationÈěrdwōsz̄ Shr̀
IPÂ.àɚ.twó.sɹ̩́ ʂɻ̩̂]
Mongolian name
Mongolian CyrillicОрдос хот
Mongolian scriptᠣᠷᠳᠣᠰ ᠬᠣᠲᠠ
Transcriptions
SASM/GNCOrdos qota

Ordos, also known as Ih Ju, is one of the twelve major subdivisions of Inner Mongolia, China. It lies within the Ordos Plateau of the Yellow River. Although mainly rural, Ordos is administered as a prefecture-level city. Its population was 2,153,638 as of the 2020 census, and its built-up (or metro) area made up of Ejin Horo Banner and Kangbashi District was home to 366,779 inhabitants, as Dongsheng District (574,442 inhabitants) is not a conurbation yet.

Ordos is known for its recently undertaken large scale government projects including most prominently the new Kangbashi District, an urban district planned as a massive civic mall with abundant monuments, cultural institutions and other showpiece architecture. It was the venue for the 2012 Miss World Final.

When it was newly built, the streets of the new Kangbashi district did not have much activity, and the district was frequently described as a "ghost city" by several Western media outlets. However in 2017, writing in a Forbes article, Wade Shepard said that it became increasingly difficult to apply this label as the city's population had surged to 153,000, which was an increase from 30,000 in 2009.